Caring for a disabled person requires assisting the person in using the bathroom, including the toilet and shower. Several devices have been developed and are well-known in the art that enable the transfer of a person into the bathroom and provide them the ability to use the toilet. Different devices have been developed and are well known in the art that allow a person to be transferred into the shower or bathtub. However, if in the same trip to the bathroom the use of the toilet and the shower is desired, a change in transfer device is often needed, which requires heavy lifting of the person out of the old device and into the new device.
Few devices have been developed to allow for the seamless transition from bed to toilet to shower or bathtub. These apparatus are typically comprised of a commode chair with a seat that can slide along an adjoining track system, over the barrier of the shower or bathtub, to position the person over the shower or bathtub. The track systems employed have either been fixed to the shower or bathtub or have been supported on one side by the commode chair and on the other side by two support members. Fixation of the track system to the shower or bathtub does not enable the track system to be transported to another location. Reliance on the commode chair to support the track system can present stability problems during the transfer, which can result in injury to the person transferred.
A further problem encountered in the prior art apparatus during the transfer from toilet to shower or bathtub relates to the adjustability of the track system support members. Most homes contain standard showers or bathtubs that do not provide wheelchair or commode chair roll-in capability. The bottom of these traditional showers and bathtubs do not often sit on the same level as the floor of the bathroom. To remedy this problem, apparatus utilizing the track system contain adjustable support members. The support members generally are adjustable at fixed intervals using a conventional ball and detent system. If the fixed interval adjustment does not allow for adjustment to match the precise height differential between the shower or bathtub and the bathroom floor, unevenness and tilting of the track system can result, causing unexpected sliding of the seat portion.
Another problem encountered in the prior art apparatus involves the lack of a locking mechanism to secure the seat portion once the person is positioned over the shower or bathtub. Combined with a lack of evenness in the track system caused by the inability to finely adjust the height of the track system support members, the lack of a seat portion securing mechanism further increases the risk that during a shower or bath an unsupervised person will slide out of the bathtub or shower region, causing serious injury.
A further limitation of the prior art apparatus is the inability to easily transport the apparatus from location to location. Apparatus that utilize a track system mounted on the bathtub do not provide easy portability, as the track system must be removed from the bathtub and cannot be collapsed. Additionally, most apparatus contain commode chairs that cannot be collapsed for easy transport. Non-portability forces a user to purchase additional transfer systems, resulting in greater expense to the user.
Prior art bath transfer apparatus also do not provide the option for a person to shower or bathe in complete privacy. Apparatus utilizing the commode chair to support one side of the track system do not allow for the shower or bathtub curtain to be fully closed around the person bathing. While apparatus utilizing a track system fixed to the bathtub provide complete privacy, they do not provide portability or the ability for others to utilize the bathtub or shower without having to remove the track system.
Thus, it would be highly desirable to provide a strong, portable, stable, and convenient bath transfer system that allows a person with a disability to have complete access to bathroom facilities without having to transfer apparatus.
In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangement of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. In addition, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.